WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — After 77 matches in the regular season and five more in the playoffs, Super Rugby has thrown up the final that seemed obvious since the tournament began.
The Hamilton-based Chiefs who finished the regular season in first place will face the second-placed Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday. The Crusaders gained top-seeding when the Chiefs lost to the Blues in the first playoff round and will host the final for a record eighth time.
Through the ups and downs of the season, the Chiefs and Crusaders clearly established themselves as the two best teams in Super Rugby with matching 11-3 records in the normal season.
The Crusaders beat the Queensland Reds and Auckland-based Blues in the playoffs while the Chiefs lost to the Blues and beat the ACT Brumbies after advancing to the semifinals as the top-ranked quarterfinal loser.
After their 21-14 win over the Blues on Saturday, the Crusaders will defend a 31-0 record in home playoffs in the final. The Chiefs will be playing in the final for the third-straight year after losing to the Crusaders in 2023 and the Blues in 2024.
The Crusaders will attempt to win the title for the 13th time in full Super Rugby competitions — they won twice in regional tournaments during the COVID pandemic. The Chiefs will attempt to win for the third time, the first since 2013.
Penney's redemption
Last year, in their first season under head coach Rob Penney, the Crusaders won only four matches in one of their worst-ever seasons. The Crusaders’ management decided to keep Penney on and this year he has led them to the final.
When asked how he would celebrate the semifinal win over the Blues, Penney replied “very quietly. The job is not done."
“I’m excited to be where we’re at and just rapt we’ve got another week. The organization has got such a great history and to be able to be a small part of the team getting to this part is wonderful.”
The Crusaders showed all the grit that has been part of their winning culture when they held out the Blues through more than 40 phases close to their goal-line in the dying minutes of Friday’s match. Backrower Christian Lio-Willie finally won the turnover that ended the match in the 85th minute.
“The last few minutes was just heart and soul,” Penney said. Defense coach Matt Todd “has done great work with the D which has been building all year.
“The boys dug deep and showed how much it means to them and how much they care about this place. And they wanted to get another week which is just such a joy.”
Chiefs extend Brumbies' playoff woes
After a tight first half, the Chiefs won with some comfort thanks to flyhalf Damian McKenzie who kicked six penalties and two conversions for 22 points. After leading 19-17, the Chiefs scored 18 unanswered points to close out the match.
“It was an outstanding performance from the lads,” McKenzie said. “The Brumbies came out of the blocks fast as we knew they would and I liked the way we were really composed and stuck to our game.”
McKenzie kept the ball in front of the Chiefs’ forwards while the Brumbies suffered a major blow when Wallabies flyhalf Noah Lolesio failed a head injury assessment in the 11th minute.
Once again, the Brumbies fell just short of the title game after reaching the semifinals in each of the last three years. Australian teams are now 0-21 in playoff matches in New Zealand.
“There’s frustration because it’s the same story as last year,” Larkham said. “We’ve had this story for more than two years in a row now.
“It’s not a good feeling getting this far in the competition and not getting to the final.”
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Steve Mcmorran, The Associated Press
